Hung-Over in Ljubljana, Slovenia
Today was a really hard day for me. I was just miserable from the pitcher, the beer, and the two shots.
It lasted nearly all day long, much to my chagrin. I couldn’t wait to feel normal once again. To begin with we had to take a train to Jesnice to pick up my luggage. That took about an hour each way. I was hating life and tried to sleep each way. When we got back to Ljubljana, Slovenia we stored it (my luggage) in the train station (locker) and went on a mini sight seeing tour of the rest of town.
We passed and entered many interesting shops of crafts (a lot of wooden crafts, painted art, and a special peculiarity of a beehive cover which is a painted wood panel depicting life scenes). Ate pizza for lunch to my request as hangover cure at Romeo’s Pizzaria. I tried a “Smile” beer from the local Union brewery served with a lemon slice wie (like) Corona, but couldn’t even take it all down.
Walked in the hot sun to French Revolution Square and then back again, to a hopping California style ice-cream bar right on the riverside. It was a great setting, and the ice cream sundaes were gourmet, tropical, ornate and
HUGE!!! You know I was feeling awful as I couldn’t even eat a fourth of my chocolate one. No coffee either, all day. I tried ordering a “berry smoothie” with the fresh wild berries Michael was so excited about, Heidlbeern, but even that wasn’t so good. It was a busy, well-serviced place though continually the whole time we were there. The service could even be American. I couldn’t believe it, Michael either, how helpful, friendly and voluntarily nice the people were- all over Slovenia. They literally do welcome tourists with open arms!
So many people speak English, almost all the Slovenian people we encountered had an excellent mastery of English, ending their helpful exchange with “No Problem” all proud to be able to use that phrase that they’d learned (probably at Berlitz, which is there too and hiring)! I would have liked to teach there, in Ljubljana, Slovenia; but you’d never know how nice it is, unless you went there.
Things finally started shaping up for me as we went into the CD (compact disc) music store. The guy working there was so helpful and suggested some great polkas from Slovenia, as well as local hit bands. We were able to listen to all the CD’s we wanted to consider. Michael and I both left with purchases. He got “Candy Duffer” or so, really good and I got polkas for Grandma and John and a “Bok Band” Swing group – cool, now big, from Ljubljana, Slovenia.
We toured Tivoli Park by foot, amidst lovers sitting, stroking, and laying on every park bench we passed. We went up to the museum and walked back around the gardens finally to the Slovenian restaurant Michael had been anticipating for two days now.
https://www.thinkslovenia.com/sights-attractions/tivoli-park
We were able to sit outside in a nice, cool, beer garden atmosphere, on sort of a wooden deck. The menu was a combo of typcial Karst region Slovenian foods combined with an Italian flair. I ordered mushroom tortellini, fovever trying to match the great porchini mushroom home-made tortellinis I had the first night in Rome with boyfriend, when the music was too loud. That was trotzdem a great night.
After dinner Michael and I had to walk back to the train station and retreive my bag. Then we took the bus to our Hotel, but accidentally after waiting, took the A instead of 1-A (bus) and had a very long walk in front of us- after the bus driver explained that this was as far as he went, half-way to our hotel. We kept hoping that the ‘next intersection’ would be ours, and kept looking for the corn fields (near our hotel) to appear in the dark!
Tuesday, 27 July 1999
